Machine for rolling wheel-rims



E. F. GOODYEAR.

MACHINE FOR ROLLING WHEEL RIMS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24,1919.

1,329,659. Patented Feb. 3,19%.

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tin-rennin rcn aunt-me WHEEL-RIMS.

Applicationffiled June 2%,

To cult w/wm it may concern Be it known that l, .Ennnsr FREDERICK Gooornin, a subjectof the Kingdom of Great Britain, of Churchfield l/IillaDudley, in the county of l l orcester, England, have invented certain new and useful Luprovements in or Relating to Machines for Rolling Wheel-Rims, Such the .l Vheels of Motor Road-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprises certain improvements in or relating to the manufacture of wheels, such as the wheels. of motor road vehicles, and the present invention provides machinery for bending or shaping the sides of the tire-carrying portion or rim of the wheel. According to the present invention the sides of the tirecarrying or rim portion of the wheel are inwardly bent or curved by the operation of rollers located one on each side of the metal, which rollers may be positively driven.

The present invention is particularly applicable to wheels of the type composed of two sheaves or halves, and a separate rim portion, the edges of which are outwardly folded over the edges of the sheaves or halves. These three elements are combined together in such a manner that the rim portion assumes a cross-section of shallow U-configuration, and afterward the sides of this rim portion are bent or curled inwardly by the application of driven rollers, one of which is located inwardly and the other outwardly of the side part of the said rim portion. The inner driven roller is of convex form and the outer driven roller is of concave form, so that a side part of the rim is thereby effectively molded or shaped between the appropriately shaped or formed peripheries of the rollers.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into practice, reference may be had to the appended drawing which is an elevation of a machine for carrying out a first operation in the embodiment of the present invention hereinafter described.

In a convenient embodiment of the present invention, the annular rim portion is formed to a shallow channel cross-section (4 having two lateral flanges b, one on each side. WVithin these flanges and outwardly against the outer surfaces of the channel part of the annular member the sheaves 0 are located; these sheaves have annular Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Fens, 1920.

1am. Serial Lia-306,417.

shouldered upon which the rim portion may internally rest.

After the three elements of the wheelhave thus been assembled together they are i'nounted to rotate about a vertical axis in asuitable frame 6, which may be adjustable longitudinally upon the bed of the machine in directions toward or away from the work. 6 is a rotary table carried by the frame 6, and upon or in relation to which the assembled wheel parts may be retained by the flange or enlarged foot 6 of a screwed stem operatable, for instance, by a hand-wheel e. Adjacent to this frame is another frame f carrying two substantially parallel horizontal shafts g, h. The shaft 9 carries a roller 2' having a convex periph ry and is adapted to be projected into the terior of the rim. The other shaft 71. carries a roller 3 which has a concave or semicircular groove in its periphery and is adapted to be appliedlaterally to the exterior of the rim. Both of these rollers are adapted to be positively driven. In order to provide for the desired pressure between the rollers to efi'ect the bending of the rim, the shaft It which carries the upper roller having the concave periphery is mounted in a part 77 of the frame which is pivoted to the other or major part of the frame which carries the roller 2'.

The point Z of this pivotal connection is advantageously materially removed from the rollers so that a suitable movement between the rollers is permissible while at the remote ends of the shafts by which they are carried only a slight movement occurs. At the remote ends the shafts carry gear wheels on, n which are in mesh with each other. The oscillatory movement of the upper shaft in relation to the lower is permissible by virtue of the depth of the teeth in the re spective gear wheels. The shaft 9 carries a larger gear wheel 0 which is in mesh with a small driving gear wheel p which carries fast and loose driving pulleys q. Any suitable provision may be incorporated such as a screw 9' carrying a hand wheel .5: for oscillating the frame is to apply the concave roller 2 to the exterior of the rim.

If desired a brackett may be incorporated and located below the part of the rim which is being operated upon by the driven rollers. This bracket which may be adjustable may carry an idle roller 10 upon which the lower or side part of the rim rests.

The concave roller 3' is provided on one til side with a flange '21, the inner surface of which is coned or of other form adapted as the roller j is advanced laterally toward the rim to bend the flange b of the rim radially inwardly. Continued movement of the axis of the roller 7' toward the rim has the result that the flange 6 is bent against the exterior of the sheave a, and still further displacement of the axis or the roller 7' toward the rim has the effect that the outermost edge of the rim part of the wheel is bent inwardly to a partial hook form around the convex roller as vill be understood.

lVhat E claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In a machine of the class described, a r0- tatable table, means coincident with the axis of the table to hold wheel sheaves and a wheel rim between said sheaves on said table, a shaft mounted in a fixed bearing and having a roller provided with a convex periphery, said roller being arranged to be projected into the interior of the rim, a shaft mounted in a movable bearing and having a roller provided with a concave peripheral groove and adapted to be applied laterally to the exterior of the rim, said roller being also provided with shoulder to limit the extent to which the edges of the side portions of the rim may he inwardly displaced, and an idler roller arranged be low the first named roller and under the lower wheel sheave.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ERNEST FREDERICK GQODYEAR. 

